It is often desirable to provide an anti-theft alarm system for preventing unauthorized removal of an otherwise movable object from a specific physical location.
There are many varieties of burglar alarms, theft alarms, and protective alarm systems which serve to protect objects of private property by physically connecting to the object which requires protection, a sensor device which is in turn connected to a remote detecting apparatus by means of energy transmission. The general system methods rely on the remote detection of an interruption or alteration of an otherwise constant pattern of energy flow which may be electrical, light, magnetic, thermal or fluidic energy.
In general, when a physical connection is employed between an energy alarm system and an object requiring protection, it is usually required that the objects have natural apertures, openings or holes, or that the objects be modified by introducing into them either apertures, appendanges or mechanisms allowing for suitable mechanical interconnection with the alarm system. This presents a problem when dealing with many types of objects such as objects of art and tools which are physically shaped so as to provide no natural means of allowing suitable mechanical attachment to an alarm system. Frequently, the physical modification of these types are objectionable, and often impractical or destructive to the purpose of the object.
A number of systems are presently in use which utilize alarm cables to protect objects against theft. Certain designs of cable attachment devices utilize adjustable mechanical loops to terminate conductive cables. With this type of structure, the device is useful only on objects having apertures within their structures through which some portion of the cable may be passed. The devices which employ mechanical loop connection of the energy conductor cables share the common defect of failing to provide a means of limiting the circumference of the loop portion to a fixed size, and of failing to provide a means of detecting the unauthorized enlargement of the protective cable loop. This type of device is totally useless in protection of objects without apertures due to the fact that a thief can simply enlarge the mechanical loop attachment mechanism and remove the cable from the object it protects without detection.
It is readily apparent from the above discussion that it would be extremely advantageous to provide a structure which alleviates the above discussed deficiencies of available structures.